Cruisers Help Mistral Dancer - lightning hit yacht

[Update 5 April at 21.00 BST: The fundraiser has now been switched OFF. The insurers, Pantaenius, have moved very quickly and today Mike and Helen accepted an agreeable offer. Together with your help they should be in a position to painstakingly rebuild/replace all of the onboard systems destroyed by the lightning strike. They will fit emergency navigation systems to carefully make their way to the Dominican Republic, which will be the most effective location to carry out repairs. Mike and Helen would like to thank everyone for their support and kindness, for which they are hugely grateful. They are sorry not to have your details to thank you personally. They have been truly astounded and due to your support are staying positive about the outcome for Mistral Dancer. As Mike said to me yesterday- “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade”. Cheers to that everyone! Thank you again.]

Mike and Helen’s gorgeous little yacht, Mistral Dancer was directly hit by lightning in George Town, Bahamas on the evening of Saturday 23 March 2024. Nearly every onboard circuit was ‘blown up’ by the direct strike - a massive ‘BANG’ - from their engine alternator to their fridge.

With over 200 hundred other yachts in the anchorage this could have happened to any single one of the cruisers there. We were on another boat and feel incredibly lucky to be spared that night, but Mistral Dancer was not so fortunate.

Mike has had several careers, latterly driving trucks in the UK and Helen retired as a midwife after 40 years in the National Health Service. They bought Mistral Dancer, a Moody 376 in 2019 and so their dream began in Lowestoft, England. They stopped at the Scilly Isles to quietly marry (after 37 years and 3 children together!) and sailed through the Mediterranean to Turkey and then, in 2023, crossed the Atlantic.

Their savings have been exhausted preparing the boat for ocean passages - the Pacific was in their sights - and upgrading safety equipment. Helen’s NHS pension is modest and simply covers their day-to-day budget. The lightning strike, on the other hand, is quite literally a bolt from the blue. They’ve sensibly got the best insurance they could buy, from Pantaenius. But with the deductible/excess doubled to £6k (approx $7.5k USD) for lightning damage, they’ve a nightmare to overcome to keep the dream on course. It’s a gut-wrenching blow and one that every cruiser will empathise with.

Folk in the anchorage have been exceptionally kind. The radio-net controllers were extraordinary in rallying help for Mistral Dancer and other affected yachts. Practical help and even the loan of a portable fridge mean that Mike and Helen can pick themselves up, dust themselves down, start to assess the magnitude of the damage (one suggestion is that costs could exceed $50k) and submit their insurance claim. But they will need to - somehow - find £6k for the deductible/excess. If you can spare anything towards that, it would mean the world to Mike and Helen. There’s no obligation. Even a modest sailing lifestyle is a luxury, after all. But even a few dollars/pounds would mean a lot.

With grateful thanks that the lightning spared us that day, we thank you for any donation you can spare Mike & Helen in helping repair Mistral Dancer and keep their dream afloat. In any case we wish you all fair winds. And lightning-free skies!

[Footnote 29 March - Mike and Helen are overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity thus far and would like to say a heartfelt “thank you” to each and every supporter. They’re sorry not to have your details to thank you personally. Also, the Press Association of the UK have picked up on this story and are writing a piece, potentially for widespread publication!]

Donations in any currency including GBP or USD